School and Group Visits
Having written books in a range of genres (including fiction, poetry, biography, comics and young adult mystery), Emily Pohl-Weary's
readings and workshops are dynamic and relevant to daily life.
Her participatory workshops touch on urban issues, navigating popular culture, fearless heroines, feeling alienated and powerless as a young person, searching for your path in life, and handling peer pressure. She draws on years of experience publishing her own magazine and working for others, encouraging participants to tell their own stories and make their own media.
Suggested Workshops
She's happy to do readings and talk about her work, but also likes running workshops geared around specific topics. Here's a partial list of ideas. Please note that some work best if they're broken down into multiple sessions.- Writing biography—what's involved in telling someone else's story?
- Writing young adult mysteries—how to find a voice and get your sleuth started.
- Compiling an anthology—turn your obsession into a book.
- An analysis of women who fight back in popular culture (tough chicks, witches, mutants, slayers and freaks).
- Using Toronto as a backdrop for literature.
- Media analysis: mass market "supermarket" literature, including gossip magazines, crime reporting and romance novels.
- How much pop culture is too much? In this day and age, it's a huge part of life. Should it be part of literature?
- How to start your own writer’s group: get peer feedback and coordinate productively.
- Rewrite your life: let people know what's so fascinating about your world.
- Publish Your Own Zine! What’s out there, how to find a readership, and publish cheaply and simply.
- Make Your Own Comics! An overview of the tools and skills you need, from conception to distribution.
How to Prepare for a Visit
Before Emily arrives in your class or group, participants should glance at her frequently asked questions page. This helps you ask informed questions and might give you ideas about which aspects of her work interest them most. Please let her know ahead of time if you'd like her to focus on something specific. Groups can also order multiple copies of her books at a discount.Writers in the Schools Subsidized Program
The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts subsidize author visits to schools. You can find more info at http://writersunion.ca/wits.html
Writers in Northern Ontario Schools Program
The same two agencies fund author visits to Northern Ontario schools, at a slightly higher level. More info here: http://writersunion.ca/witsnp.html.To arrange a school or group visit, email Emily at emily@kissmachine.org